After purchasing my first Mastercraft this past March and watching my kids have a fantastic time, I'm hoping to join them and get back into watersports this Summer. I basically stopped skiing, footing etc. for almost 20yrs! The old Eagle Barefoot suit still kind of fits (sadly it might fit better/tighter now than ever!) and the Drysuit will be sent out to have the seals replaced. I need some help with a ski. Here is the skinny:

Mid 40's, 5'10", 175lbs. I was never a great skier. The last ski I had was a late 80's double boot HO. I started late and all my crowd did was barefoot. There is a course on the lake and I'd like to work at it. I'm dealing with a handful typical old guy injuries that need to be sorted (ACL, Back, Shoulder) but I'm tired of sitting on the sidelines. I like to think that I still push hard but the truth is that I will now ski/foot/wakeskate etc. like I have to show up at work on Monday!

Any suggestions for a ski (used or new) that will help me get back into the course? I presume the technology has changed alot. Would I be a 67" ski? How stiff, wide, etc.? There is a lot of knowledge on this site, thanks for letting me tap in!

67" sounds about right. I think a good place to start would be http://www.ski-it-again.com/ to look for a used ski. It also depends on how much you will ski the course...and how good you were before you stopped :-)

More open water (these are a little wider for easier starts and riding):
HO Triumph (now called TX)
Radar Theory

More course but still some open water:
HO Coefficient X (now called CX)
Radar Senate

Plenty of other great brands out there, but Radar and HO seem to do the best job of having a product at each "stage" of the skiing progression (vs. high-end only brands like Goode, D3, etc.)

I started riding a Radar Senate this year with double Vector boots. Most comfortable boots I've owned. The ski is very stable and reminds me a lot of the EP Comp 1 I started skiing on years ago. It's aggressive enough for the course but stable enough to use in less than perfect conditions. I would recommend at least looking at this package before you buy. The good news is that this time of year there's some really good deals out there. I bought my package in pieces off of Ski It Again mid summer. It was a third less in price than what I could buy it for locally or from any of the online ski shops.

I've got a line on a used ski for $100 but I haven't pulled the trigger yet. Still trying to sort out shipping etc. As far as bindings are concerned I'm a 9.5 shoe. I believe thats a Medium. In the past I used a double boot. I think I'm going to go that way again. Many thanks for the offer.

I've got a line on a used ski for $100 but I haven't pulled the trigger yet. Still trying to sort out shipping etc. As far as bindings are concerned I'm a 9.5 shoe. I believe thats a Medium. In the past I used a double boot. I think I'm going to go that way again. Many thanks for the offer.

How are your fundamentals... if you're 100% there then the ski and bindings may make a difference.

with all the advances in ski's, bindings, and now the new prostar - the 43 off -- 2 buoy record still stands... just sayin.

__________________...A bad day water skiing still beats a good day at work...1995 Pro Star 205....

Actually is 2.5 at -43 now, Nate holds it all alone...but even he uses a rear toe plate instead of double boots!

right on!!! - on the rear toe plate (squaring off to boat)... I can't even image the tug-o-war as you head into the buoy number 2 and after... I don't ski courses - but the vid's of the pro's show the core, arm and leg strength needed..

I wish I had the time to even get 6 @ -22

__________________...A bad day water skiing still beats a good day at work...1995 Pro Star 205....